Molly Visits Bashira With Unforseen Consequences
by owigd
Summary: No-one is prepared for what happens when Molly insists on visiting Bashira.
1. Chapter 1

THIS IS MY OWN NARRATIVE AND IS NOT IN ANY WAY RELATED TO ANYTHING WRITTEN BY TONY GROUNDS, OR IN ANY WAY AS GOOD AS HIS.

It had been three long months since Charles James had seen his beloved Molly and he couldn't get a calmness. He kept re-living the all too fleeting wonderful night they had shared in Bath, he kept seeing her beautiful face, and yearning to feel her soft smooth skin and cradle her in his arms. Facetime had helped, _when_ the signal worked, but once a week was not enough. He understood that she had needed to go back and lay her ghosts, and he knew she would do a good job in training the Afghan medic corp. He could just imagine her trying to explain 'you gonna need a stitch', and chuckled to himself. But it was time for her to come back and for them to decide on their future. 'Their' future, Charles couldn't imagine life without his Molly and hoped she felt the same.

The phone rang – 'Qaseem?' how are you, where are you? The colour drained from Charles face and his hands began to shake. 'What, how, when, where is she'? Qaseem at the other end was explaining that Molly had insisted he take her to see Bashira, dressed head to toe as a local so the soldiers wouldn't see she was a European woman. She had gone into the school and spoken to Bashira. They then left, got into the car and were driving back to base when the car was rammed and armed insurgents opened the doors, dragged Molly out and clubbed him across the head. He just re-called Molly screaming 'help me' before he fell into unconsciousness. When he came round he was surrounded by locals who told him that the insurgents had thrown the girl into a truck and driven off.

He was calling Captain James from his mobile while he was waiting on Major Beck to reach him. 'I'm so sorry Captain James, Molly confided in me about you. She said she never thought that coming from where she did, and you coming from where you did, that you would ever look at her. She told me how much she loved you and hoped that you would wait for her. And now….' He tailed off tears choking his words. 'I will call you back when Major Beck reaches me. I'm so so sorry, Molly is like a daughter to me and I will do everything in my power to find her and bring her back to you'. The line dropped and so did Charles. He had never felt so frightened, so powerless, so far away. He sat on the floor sobbing and after what seemed like an eternity the phone rang again.

'James' – it was Major Beck 'James, Qaseem has just briefed me on what happened' Beck knew about his and Molly's relationship as James had had to tell him at the private de-briefing on what happened at the check point with Badrai. James had said it was all his fault, he had taken his eye off the ball. Beck however commended him and Molly for keeping their relationship hidden and said that they were both good soldiers and he wanted them back serving under him.

Now however his tone was sombre and very serious. He didn't want to mention what the insurgents were capable of with a woman, he knew James was only too aware of that.

'James, James – are you there?' Charles pulled himself together and tried to get into Captain mode as he knew he was no good to Molly if he was a jibbering wreck. 'Sir – permission to fly out from Brize Norton tonight and join you' There was silence at the other end for what seemed like an eternity. 'James you've not long left Headley Court and re-hab, it's against army protocol for you to come back into a war zone'. Charles thought 'then I'll come back as a civilian mercenary Sir. Anyway I can I'm coming back to get Molly, with or without the Army's blessing'. 'Very well, let me clear it with above. Make your way to Brize Norton and I'll call you in an hour'.

Charles couldn't remember anything in that hour. He dressed again in his combat's and full Army kit all the time pushing thoughts of what could be happening to Molly, out of his head. He jumped into his car for the journey to Oxfordshire, steeling himself into Army mode and trying to become emotionally uninvolved. Fuck it was so hard but he had to do it if he was to find his adorable Molly. His phone rang and he pulled over sharply onto the hard shoulder. 'James', Major Beck's voice sounded gruff. 'Command have cleared you on the grounds that you have questioned the insurgents they think are involved, and together with Qaseem, you will be able to recognise them' Charles's thoughts momentarily strayed back to that time with Major Morley when Molly had been slapped in the face by one of them. He shuddered at his thoughts and focused on Brize Norton. He arrived at BN, screeched his car into a parking space, grabbed his rucksack and ran through the departure area. They were expecting him, put on alert by Major Beck , and waved him through. He was to be a passenger on an aircraft carrying troops to help with the breakdown of Bastion. Breakdown. His thoughts again went back to Molly 'what will happen when we pull out of here Sir' for once his heart overtook him – fucking bastards, who cares.

The flight seemed forever and he shut his mind off from the banter going on around him. All he could think of was Molly. His beautiful, adorable, cheeky Molly. Where was she, was she alive, were they torturing her or worse. His heart was breaking but his face showed no emotion. Finally they landed and he pulled rank and went to the front of the queue, jumping down onto the tarmac, rifle in hand. 'James, over here' he heard Beck calling and ran across to the waiting jeep. Qaseem was inside, steely faced with his head bandaged, his sad eyes looking straight into Charles 's red rimmed eyes. They gave each other a brief hug, no words needed to be said. 'Go' Major Beck said to the driver. They drove perilously across pot holed roads, careering from side to side in the jeep. Finally they reached base, jumped from the jeep and raced towards the Ops tent where Major Morley was waiting. 'Captain James' Morley extended his hand, Charles shook it and caught his eyes. They showed deep concern. 'Sir' Kinders came in. 'Kinders', Charles shook his hand. 'Right gather round' Morley said.


	2. Chapter 2

Molly was paralysed with fear. She saw Qaseem lying on the ground, she saw him raise himself , trying to get up, as they dragged her into a waiting truck. She saw him fall back unconscious, blood pouring from his head. She looked round the truck. There were four men in the dark green uniform redolent of the area, their faces hidden, only their hard cold eyes staring at her. They shouted to the driver and he accelerated so fast that Molly was thrown onto the floor of the jeep. She pulled herself up only to be pushed hard into the side of the truck by one of the men screaming instructions to the driver and saying something to the others in the truck. He appeared to be in charge. Molly tried desperately to think of what she had been taught in training for just such a scenario. But all she could see was Bashira, Qaseem and her beloved Charles.

Then she passed out. She woke up on the floor face down, sand in her mouth, blood seeping from her head. She moved slowly feeling her legs, arms, body and eventually her head. Thankfully the cut wasn't deep but looked bad as it was above her right eye on her temple. She must have done it when they pushed her against the side of the truck. How long had she been here, where was she? Oh god what if they tortured her, what if they killed her. The realisation of the seriousness of the situation sunk in and she began to shake uncontrollably. Captain James, Boss Man, Charles, help me, tell me this is all a dream and that you are going to come any minute, pick me up, and hold me tight. She heard shouting and 4 Afghans pushed their way through the battered door and stood over her. One kicked her in the leg and two others hauled her up on to her feet. The leader walked up to her, cupped her face in his right hand and pushed it up towards the roof of the building, his sooty black eyes staring into hers and his face pushing right into hers so their noses were touching. 'Molly Dawes you betrayed my family. You took Bashira. You killed Badrai, my father. Now you will find what we think of women Molly Dawes'. He gripped her chin and threw her back against the stone wall. Molly groaned with pain as her head hit the wall. She felt warm sticky blood running down her neck. Abruptly the four men left. She couldn't stop the tears from falling and collapsed on the floor sobbing, her head throbbing. Charles, Charles please come and find me, she screamed silently. I need you so much, I need your arms around me, I need to feel your strength. I'm so frightened.

Eventually her tears subsided and she leaned against the wall and gently felt the back of her head, the pain was agonising, the cut deep. She had nothing to hold against it. Her Afghan dress was ripped to shreds so she tore off both sleeves and rolled them into a pack and held them against the wound. Under the dress she had on her combats in readiness for the VIP reception she was to attend after getting back from seeing Bashira. She felt in her uniform pockets. She had some bandage and tape. She opened the bandage pack with her teeth and slowly started to wrap it round her head, when she finished she taped it up. In so much pain she lay down on the rock and sand floor and drifted into an uneasy sleep all the time calling out silently to Charles.


	3. Chapter 3

Charles James, Major Morley, Major Beck, Qaseem and Kinders leaned over the map splayed out on the table in front of them. 'I've no need to tell you how much danger Dawes is in, we all know the Afghan insurgents opinion of women' He looked around the table and saw James 's guard drop, his eyes were haunted, his body bent double as though he was in pain. Morley refrained from voicing his fear about what they might do to Private Dawes. 'Qaseem, we think they have taken her into the mountains above the crossing where we intercepted Badrai but there's miles of terrain up there and we need to pinpoint the area.' 'Then we need to go immediately and talk to Bashira, she is the only one who knows where the stronghold would be', said Qaseem. Morley hurriedly rolled up the map as they all ran from the Ops Tent into the transport. He barked at his Special Forces: 'Follow us. Two jeeps, four men in each. Kinders you drive,' Kinders threw the truck into gear, but stopped suddenly, aware that 2 Platoon were standing outside their tent, watching. 'Woz 'appening Corporal', Fingers shouted. Captain James opened the back flap of the truck.'Hey Boss Man's in the back. Woz he doing here, he's supposed to be in re-hab'. They all looked at each other and instinctively knew something was very wrong. They saw two jeeps with Special Forces pull up behind Kinders. 'Sir, Boss, if you're going on a mission we need to be with you, we're your Platoon' James looked swiftly at Majors Beck and Morley. 'They're right , we'll need manpower' He looked from one to the other and Qaseem followed his glance. 'Captain James is right. This will be a covert operation but manpower is essential and besides Dawes is special to them' and catching James's eye said 'and to us'.

'Right lads, listen up' James jumped from the truck followed by Kinders. 'Dawes has been kidnapped by insurgents, the family of Badrai we think, and taken somewhere into the mountains above the river bed crossing where we intercepted the convoy all those months back.' 'Molly, our Molly? But she went back to England Sir' said Dangles. 'She did but she came back for a short tour to train the Afghan medics and persuaded Qaseem to take her to see Bashira. We all know how determined Dawes is'. He quickly told them what had happened and they were visibly shaken. Seeing the shock on their faces he assumed command. 'Right lads double up jump onboard and let's go, no time to waste' They all scrambled into the back of the truck. 'Go Kinders' shouted James ' and step on it. We need to find Dawes ' 'Sir' Kinders threw the vehicle into gear and stepped hard on the pedal. Morley, Beck, James and Qaseem sat apart from 2 Platoon talking in urgent whispers.

They had no plan as yet and couldn't put anything into operation until they spoke with Bashira. Only then could they scramble air back-up and put a strategy in place. For Charles this was all taking too long. He was haunted by thoughts of what might be happening to Molly, and of the unthinkable, what if she was already dead. He struggled to push this to the back of mind but knew if he was to find her he had to be strong.


	4. Chapter 4

Bashira

They finally reached the school and James was the first to leap out of the truck, followed by Qaseem

and Majors Beck and Morley. 'Kinders you and 2 Platoon remain in the truck until we call you' instructed James. 'Sir'. Kinders watched them approach the heavily guarded gate. Qaseem spoke to the guards, the gates were opened and they went in. They walked quickly towards a heavy wooden door. Qaseem spoke again to the guards outside the door. The door was opened and they pushed through. A tall dark haired bearded man looked them all up and down. 'Salaam' they all greeted him and he them.

Qaseem then started speaking rapidly, pointing to each of them in turn and introducing them to the Head of the school's security, Abdul. His face portrayed no emotion. He shouted to the guards outside. 'Bashira'. They all stood in an uneasy silence waiting for her to come. Finally the door opened and Bashira came in. She looked frightened and said 'Mollee, where is Mollee'. Qaseem spoke gently but urgently to her. Her face crumpled and she began to cry. 'Mollee'. Qaseem knelt down in front of her and held her hands. He spoke again and gestured towards James, Beck and Morley. She looked beyond them at Abdul fear on her face. He spoke brusquely to her and she said in English 'I think I know where they take Mollee'.

James, Beck and Morley exchanged glances and Morley moved towards a table in the corner of the room, hurriedly unrolled the map he was carrying and laid it across the table. 'Come here Bashira' he said gently. Qaseem stood up and led Bashira to the table. James, Major Beck and Abdul made their way to the table.

'This is a map and here is the bridge and the checkpoint' he showed Bashira. She studied the map intently and speaking to Qaseem started pointing to various areas. 'She says in the hills above the checkpoint there are some buildings and the men of the village often go up there for a long time in 'soldiers clothes' with guns. Sometimes they don't all come back and she has seen the women crying. The men all looked at each other. Were the men from the village going to fight alongside the Taliban and going to the hills for training and then into combat. That would account for not all of them coming back.

'Ask her if she knows how to get to the place where the buildings are and if she can show us on the map' James asked Qaseem. Qaseem pointed at the map and spoke to Bashira. She leaned over the table 'pencil, I need pencil' she looked at Captain James. He pulled one from his pocket and handed it to her. She smiled and said 'Mollee, pencil' James grinned and patted her head.

She looked down at the map and drew a line from the checkpoint up to the top of the map, then speaking to Qaseem she rolled her hands in a circular motion which seemed to be saying that the buildings were higher than the map showed. Qaseem questioned her and they went into a deep conversation. Abdul listened intently. The others could only watch in silence, picking up on the odd word they understood. Finally Qaseem turned to them . 'She said way up in the hills, higher than the map goes, is a small village with about 6 buildings. She knows about it as her father took her one day when he went up there.

She said it took a long time, that they left in the morning and it was getting dark when they reached there'.

'Looks like we need air transport to drop us in' Captain James said looking at Beck and Morley. 'Agreed ' said Major Beck. 'I'll arrange it' said Morley and hurriedly left the room. 'James, call in 2 Platoon' said Major Beck. Captain James went outside to summon his men in for an Ops briefing. Abdul, Qaseem and Bashira remained in the room with Major Beck.

'Gather round lads' ordered James. Kinders and 2 Platoon came into the room and looked at Bashira, Qaseem and Abdul. Major Beck was looking over a map when Major Morley came back in and joined them at the table. 'At ease' he said 'I have spoken with Special Services and you can be airborne in one hour, that will give us time to plan a strategy'. We have just one problem, we can't risk Bashira's life by letting her go with you so we are going to have to work as best we can with the information she has given us, to locate the village'.

'I can help' Everyone looked towards the corner of the room at Abdul. 'I know of this area as I have been working with Afghan Special Forces and we knew the Taliban were recruiting locals and taking them up into the mountains for training. We went on patrol a while ago but they were alerted by someone and the village was empty when we arrived there.' Majors Beck, Morley, James and Qaseem looked at each other. 'Then you will take us there'. It was more of an order than a question from James. 'I will' replied Abdul. 'Right lads, listen up' James spoke rapidly outlining a plan and looked at Morley and Beck for affirmation. 'Agreed' they both said.

'I come and show you where is Mollee' said Bashira pulling at James's arm. James turned ,squatted down and took Bashira's hand. 'We will find Molly and bring her back to see you but it's far too dangerous for you to come with us' his deep brown eyes softened and he stroked her head. 'We'll bring Molly back, I promise' he whispered.

I have to bring my precious Molly back, I need to see her , to hear her, to touch her. His head was filled with Molly. Nothing else mattered to him but Molly. He hadn't known such love existed until he met her. He now knew what 'all consuming' love meant and how it had taken over his very being.

He stood up, back to the others in the room, taking a few seconds to regain control. He then turned, his deep brown eyes holding a steely resolve. 'Double up 2 Platoon. Move outside and prepare to board the transport' The lads stood to attention directed by Kinders and swiftly left the room. 'We'll be monitoring your progress James, good luck' said Major Beck. Major Morley saluted. 'Bring her back James' he said. 'Sir. I'm not coming back without her' he said looking directly at Morley, turned on his heel and left the room followed by Qaseem and Abdul.

They all boarded the chopper in silence and there was little or no conversation, each one, with the exception of Abdul, lost in their personal thoughts of Molls. Their Molls. Gutsy, mouthy, brave Molls. After a bad start she had more than proved herself, was always there for them and loved being part of their banter, giving back as good, and more than she got.

Captain James called Kinders, Qaseem and Abdul to the far end of the chopper, he had to focus up, he had to. 'When we land, according to Abdul, there will be rugged terrain with cover from trees and ditches and we will need to move forward during the night as our drop will be at least 90 mins from the target. Kinders you and Abdul will be upfront and Qaseem and I will bring up the rear. I've no need to remind you that speed is of the essence and that this is a highly dangerous mission. We need to be in sight of the village by daybreak'. They all nodded as the chopper put down in the blackness of the mountains. Everyone was off and the chopper gone in a matter of 3 minutes. The silence was unnerving and everyone was momentarily taken aback. 'Right Kinders, you and Abdul up front followed by 2 Platoon. Qaseem and I will be at the rear.' 'Sir. Right lads, move out follow me and Abdul, we've got a 90 minute eta to our target and we need to be there before daybreak so let's get a move on' Kinders addressed the lads.


	5. Chapter 5

Sunlight filtered through a crack in the door. Molly opened her eyes and closed them quickly as the bright sun stung her eyes. Her head was so heavy and so painful that she could barely move it. She moved onto her side and raised herself on one arm, pushing the other arm into the ground to help steady herself. She sat up and immediately felt sick and dizzy. She dropped her head down slowly until the sickness passed. Tears started to roll down her cheeks 'Boss Man where are you I need you desperately. Her thoughts drifted back to those two magical days in Bath, trying to shut out what was happening now. They hadn't left the house, spending two days exploring each other. Lips, hands, hair, faces, bodies. She felt his tongue exploring hers, felt his tender touch as he gently stroked her body. They had only left his bed to eat and shower. The shower became an exquisite extension of bed with his soapy hands exploring her gently and arousing her to a crescendo. She fought hard to keep these thoughts as they pushed away the terror she was feeling.

Her thoughts were interrupted, the door was flung open and the sun blotted out by the figure of one of her captors. He walked over and stared down at her. 'Get up' he commanded. Molly rose slowly and painfully to her feet. 'Outside' he walked over and pushed her towards the door. Oh God please no, don't let them shoot me. Molly was inwardly quaking with fear but outwardly showed defiance. 'Awright no need to shove me' she pushed his arm away and walked out into the bright sunlight. A truck was parked to the side of the building and she could hear a high pitched scream coming from inside. She looked at her captor and he shouted something in the direction of the truck. Suddenly the flap on the back of the truck was pushed back, and she was manhandled towards it. 'Get in'. She was lifted off her feet and dropped inside.

The high pitched scream lowered into a guttural moan of pain, the dropped to a whimper, then….silence. All hell broke loose, men shouted at each other, jostling, panic. Her eyes had now adjusted to the darkness and she could make out the figure of a man lying injured on the floor of the truck. She walked over and knelt beside him. She recognised him as the leader of her captors. She felt the pulse in his neck, he was still alive but his breathing was becoming more and more laboured. She checked his body and suddenly saw a gaping bloody wound in his side. Blood was pouring onto the floor of the truck.

Molly Dawes took control. 'Shut the fuck up' she screamed at the men. They went silent and turned to look at her. She jumped up, and before he knew what was happening, pulled the head covering off the nearest man, dropped to the floor and pushed it into the gaping wound. 'Come 'ere' she commanded and grabbing his hand pushed it against the wound. She made him understand that he was to stay exactly where he was. 'Wot medical supplies 'ave you got' she asked. They all stared at her. She knelt by the man and mimed: scissors, bandages, syringe. One of them jumped into action, took control and barked orders at the others. Two of them jumped from the truck and ran across the village compound.

'Oi we need to get 'im' out ov of 'ere'. She mimed lifting him, went to the back of the truck and pulled back the flap, gesticulating with her hand. They understood immediately and two of them lifted him from under the arms. She pushed the one aside holding the wound plugging and took over from him. Then he and one other lifted the legs. 'On my count, 1,2,3.' They lifted him and he emitted a horrible scream making them all jump. 'Gent'all, be gent'all' they looked at her again. 'Go, go'. He screamed again and they moved rapidly towards the flap.

The two holding his legs put them gently on the floor, jumped down, and lifted them again. The two holding him under his arms shuffled towards the ledge of the truck and lowered his body out of the truck. Molly jumped down keeping the gaping wound firmly plugged. They ran with him to one of the buildings. Inside there was a bed and they laid him on it. He was in such extreme pain that his body was rigid. Two more men came in carrying a medical bag. Molly grabbed the nearest captor and pushed his hand against the wound. She took her bloodstained hand away opened the medical bag. Bandages, scissors, she raked through the bag looking for a syringe and hopefully a phial of morphine. 'Morphine, morphine' she shouted. Another man came in and spoke in English. 'What do you need?' 'I need morphine for the pain, and there ain't none in 'ere' she answered. He spoke rapidly to one of the men, who jumped up , ran out of the door and across the village. He came running back with another medic bag and opened it up for Molly. She reached inside and pulled out a syringe and two phials of morphine. Had they been taken from one of our platoons in an ambush. She shuddered and pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

She put the syringe into the bottle and drew the analgesic up into the syringe. When it was full she went over to the bed and stabbed it into the man's leg, all the time talking to him. 'Stay wiv me mate, stay wiv me. My life might depend on you'. He needs to get to an 'ospital, he's gonna need more 'ran a stitch'. 'ospital?' She looked at the English speaking one. 'No hospital here, you have to save him'. Molly was mortified. She was a medic, not a trained surgeon. 'Me, me. I'm a medic not a surgeon. I can't do that' she said staring at his wound. 'You have to do it, there is no-one else. Tell us what you need and get on with it' he commanded her. Molly looked at him terrified. He caught her gaze and held it. 'Do it….now'. Oh god, oh god 'elp me, 'elp me'. She took a deep breath, found a pack of surgical gloves in one of the bags and handed them to the six men standing around the bed. She cut away his tunic jacket and threw it on the floor. 'I need anaesthetic' she stood and look helplessly at her English speaking captor. 'I can't do this without it'.

He looked at her and went out into the village. She watched him, fear creeping into her whole being. 'Shit, shit shit. I can't do this, I don't know 'ow to'. Yes you can Molly Dawes and you have to. Maybe, just maybe, they might not kill her if she could save his life. She had to give it a go. A truck drove across the village and stopped right outside the door of the building they were in. Molly recognised the markings, it was a US Army Medical Corp truck. Oh god how many did they kill to get this. She shuddered at the thought. 'Look' British speaker ordered her to the truck. She climbed in. It was a fully equipped mobile operating theatre. Sometimes you had to thank fuck for the Yanks she thought. 'Right, let's move 'im in 'ere'. C'mon 'urry up, 'e's losing too much blood' Brit speaker barked orders at the men standing around the bed, they lifted him and moved hurriedly towards the truck. The head covering plugging the hole was soaked. They got him into the Medical Corp truck and put him on the operating table. 'I'm gonna need 'elp. Wash your 'ands and put a pair of these on' she commanded them, pointing at the pull out packet of blue surgical gloves. Brit speaker translated and they went across to the makeshift sink, washed their hands and donned a pair of gloves each.

Molly scrubbed up and put on a pair of gloves, took a deep breath and walked over to the table. She found his vein, pushed in the needle and began to feed the anaesthetic into the vein. She then strapped this to his arm. She caught Brit speaker watching her and looked at him in anguish. Was that a faint nod of encouragement she saw? She wasn't sure. The anaesthetic started to course through his body and his breathing became steady. She placed the mask over his nose and proceeded to feed the tube into his mouth, then hooked him up to the monitoring machines She asked Brit speaker to monitor the tube and machine. He nodded. She took the plug of material out of the wound and blood squirted into her face. 'Wipe me 'ead' she shouted at one of them. They looked at her like she was an alien. 'Wipe me 'ead, I can't see'. Brit speaker spoke and one of them picked up a wipe, walked around the table and wiped the blood away. 'I ain't gonna bite yer' she said to him. She cleaned out the wound with a syringe of salty water. The Yanks had it all on tap, thank God. She inserted a drain into the wound and called for plugging.

She knew a surgeon would check for internal damage but she had no experience of this so could only do what she knew. Brit speaker again gave them an order and one of them brought wadding to her. She pushed it into the wound. 'es's gonna need a bloody great stitch to hold this lot togever' she said as she started suturing the wound. Droplets of sweat were forming on her brow. Brit speaker noticed and reached across and wiped them. She looked up and nodded at him. After what seemed like hours the wound was closed.

'e'll need a transfusion' she said to Brit speaker and got a synthetic blood pack from the medical cupboard. She put a line into a vein and hooked up the bag. She also put in another drip to keep him hydrated. She asked Brit speaker to remove the mask but left the airway tube connected.

She suddenly dropped to the floor, her head screaming in pain. Brit speaker knelt beside her. 'e did this' she said pointing at the patient, and touching the back of her head. Brit speaker looked at the wound. The blood was congealed and the wound was swollen. He went to the medical cupboard and found some anaesthetic wipes walked across to Molly and proceeded to gently wipe the wound. 'ow, that 'urts' she cried out. 'Sorry Molly Dawes'. She turned quickly and saw him smile at her. She didn't know what to do or think. 'Fanks' she said looking down at the floor. He continued to clean the wound and then went over to the cupboard again. He searched inside and found some painkillers. He brought them over to Molly. 'Here take two of these'. He handed them to her and then gave her a bottle of water. She swigged the tablets down, rubbed her head and stood up.

She went over to the patient and told Brit speaker that someone had to stay with him to monitor his breathing. He nodded, spoke to two of the men and they sat on chairs either side of the Op table.

'ow did this 'appen' she asked him. 'Taliban wanted control of this village. There was a gun battle and he got shot'. 'But I fought you was Taliban' she asked confused. 'We are' he answered looking at her directly in the eyes. 'But this is our territory and they came from another area to try and take over'. He walked away. Bad sign that they're fighting for territories, she thought. She had no illusions that she was still a 'wanted' prisoner and kept wondering what was going to happen now.


	6. Chapter 6

Here Comes The Cavalry!

Kinders and Abdul zig zagged across the rugged terrain followed closely by 2 Platoon with Cpt James and Qaseem at the rear. It took them through hills, rocky passes, down slopes, through trees. Every conceivable type of landscape and even at 3am it was hot.

The inky blackness was lightening up when they began their final descent. 'Hold up lads' commanded James as he and Qaseem ran past them to speak to Abdul and Kinders. Abdul dropped down on his belly and signalled for everyone to do the same. He then crawled forward and waved James/Qaseem/Kinders to follow him. They crawled to the edge of arocky platform area which looked out over the valley below. Abdul whispered 'the village buildings are at 2 o'clock and the lookout post is at 10 'clock. It is patrolled around the perimeter at hourly intervals and takes 15 minutes, that means that at 3.20am we have to make our way down into the valley and dig into the ditch behind the trees by 3.45am when the dawn breaks'. Cpt James nodded, looked at his watch and signalled to Qaseem/Kinders to be ready to go in precisely 5 minutes. Kinders crawled back to 2 Platoon and relayed the orders.

At precisely 3.20am James ordered 'Let's go lads and keep your heads down and your wits about you' They moved quickly down the slope keeping to the side of the path using trees for cover where they could. James saw Abdul signal that the ditch was in front of them. They all hit the ditch and concealed themselves as deep as they could behind the trees. Dawn started to break and the village was visible through the trees. Abdul moved closer to James. 'We don't know how many men are in the village, so we need to wait and observe before we make any moves'. 'Agreed' affirmed Cpt James. 'Get some water down you lads and some rations, it could be a long hot day'. James was desperate to get to the village and Molly. Waiting in the ditch he let his thoughts drift back to the last time he had seen Molly in Bath.

His stomach was churning in case she didn't turn up and when she walked into the restaurant his heart started beating so fast he was sure everyone could hear it. She looked so beautiful. Her hair tumbled down to her shoulders, framing her perfect face. Her smile was incredible, her eyes shining, her dress stunning. He wanted to run and sweep her up into his arms and kiss that perfect mouth. But he had to control his urges. He kissed her cheek and sat opposite her drinking in her eyes, nose, hair and those lovely kissable lips. When she said she couldn't wait for him to kiss her he almost leapt across the table. They had leaned in together and then the bloody waitress came between them to fill their glasses. He had told her he loved her and when she said it was 'rushing things' when he said he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and 'he didn't know her, only what he had seen on tour', his heart sunk and he went straight back at her ' it's chemistry'. She had smiled that heart melting smile and he was lost. He had felt so comfortable with her when they walked back to his parents house, it seemed so natural. He knew that he had found his perfect love, and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The next two days had been incredible.

He was brought swiftly back to reality. A truck was leaving the village at breakneck speed heading in their direction. 'Keep your heads down' James shouted. 'Keep your heads down' screamed Kinders 'Weapons at the ready' James shouted. The truck careered past them rocking from side to side. Suddenly there was gunfire aiming at the truck coming from the opposite side of the hill to them. A mortar hit the ground in front of the truck causing it to swerve. The driver regained control ,put his foot down and jerked forward. 'What the fuck's happening Abdul' shouted James. 'We had Intell that two opposing Taliban factions were trying to take over the village. They must be fighting for the territory' he shouted back. 'And we're right in the fucking middle' James pushed his hands through his hair. And where's Molly in all this, he mind was running riot. Boom, the truck was hit square on by a second mortar and blown into pieces. 'Keep your heads down and don't come up, they don't know we're here. Let's keep it like that, while they blow themselves off the planet'. He crawled over to Abdul and Qaseem and trained his field glasses on the village. People were running everywhere, it was absolute chaos. And then he saw her. Molly was running to take cover in a building at 12'o clock. An insurgent followed her and pulled her into the building just as a mortar hit two other buildings.

'Eyes on, eyes on. Molly's in the building at 12 o'clock'. Just then another mortar slammed into the village, followed by another. 'Shit, shit, shit' James said. He buried his head in his hands, looked up and saw insurgents coming down from the hills running towards the village. There were around a dozen of them. He trained the field glasses on the hill opposite and saw that the mortar gun had been abandoned and the operators were in the group storming the village. 'Listen up lads, we're going to go in behind the insurgents as they get to the village' he looked through his glasses again and his heart sunk and he felt like he had been blown apart. The building Molly had run into was a pile of rubble. Qaseem and Abdul caught the look horror in his face as he passed the field glasses to Qaseem. Qaseem looked – 'Oh god no' Abdul grabbed the glasses. 'Lets go now Sir' he said to James. James was stunned. 'Captain James' Qaseem shouted at him. James shook himself 'Right lads, on 3, go' 2 Platoon, Kinders, James, Qaseem and Abdul ran towards the village. They reached the perimeter wall around the village. There was chaos inside, people screaming, shouting, gun fire. 'Take your positions and fire on my command' James screamed at the top of his voice to make himself heard. 'Rapid fire now'. The insurgents were taken completely by surprise and all 12 were taken out in a matter of minutes. 'Hold your fire' James shouted 'Hold your fire' shouted Kinders. 2 Platoon stopped firing. The silence was eery, the dust swirling round and whipping up into the air. 'We're going in and for fuck's sake be a 100% on your guard' he shouted 'Split up, left, middle and right. We'll cover your backs and follow you in'. 'Go'

2 Platoon ran through the village, checking the rubble of the buildings. A shot rang out narrowly missing Kinders. 'Sniper to your right, take cover' 'I've got eyes on' shouted Abdul. 'Take him out' James said. Abdul scored a direct hit and the sniper fell to the ground. More shots followed and 2 Platoon took cover behind the remains of a wall. All went quiet and as the dust cleared again they all saw her – Molly – hands on her head, gun to her temple, being pushed forward by a masked insurgent. 'Molly', Dangles and Fingers screamed out. 'Dawes' Captain James bit his lip and ran his fingers through his hair. 'Dawes, we're here, we're going to get you out' 'Wot took ya so long wankers' she shouted with fear in her voice. James and the others smiled briefly.


	7. Chapter 7

100% by your side Dawsy-forever

A shocked hush fell over the village with the only movement coming from the swirling sand. 'Qaseem, ask them what they want' Cpt James commanded. Qaseem called out the question to Molly's captor. The answer came back with spitting venom. 'He said women have no place in a man's world and _**she**_ put ideas into the young girls heads about going to school, so she has to be punished then the British and Americans will see that they shouldn't interfere in Taliban business'. 'Oh God no' James's head dropped into his hands. 2 Platoon were in shock. Their faces mirroring the anguish in Captain James voice. Abdul and Qaseem spoke between themselves. James steeled himself. 'I'm 100% here for you Dawesy' he shouted

'Qaseem tell them that as a decorated Captain in the British Army I am more valuable than a women medic, and they can have me as a hostage in exchange for the woman'. All eyes were now on Captain James. The respect tempered with fear and confusion was plain to see on everyone's face – even to an outsider like Abdul. 'Sir?' Kinders looked at Cpt James. 'Don't see we have a choice Kinders. No way will I risk Molly's life. Qaseem do it now' he was emphatic in his command. 'Captain James, please allow me to try and negotiate with them before you do that' Abdul said. James's face was contorted with pain. 'Two minutes Abdul then I'm going out there'

Abdul – shouted out speaking rapidly. Qaseem translated to the others. 'He's saying that if the Taliban agree to release the woman he will persuade the Captain who's with them to allow safe passage out of here and they will not follow them, call for back-up or attack their village' Everyone waited for the response. The insurgent reached forward and grabbed Molly round the neck, pulling her backwards into his shoulder. ' Careful mate yer nearly broke me neck' James and the others heard her shout. 'Shut up' he screamed at her in English, 'shut up he tightened his grip and Molly cried out gasping for breath. It was all too much for James and he stepped out from behind the wall with his hands in the air. 'Qaseem tell them what I told you say earlier' Qaseem followed him coming out from behind the wall, stood beside him and repeated James's command. The insurgent twisted Molly's head so she was looking straight at her beloved Boss Man. The pain in his dark brown eyes bounced into her's. She gasped with pain as the insurgent grabbed her hair and wrenched her head back again. The insurgent laughed and spoke to Qaseem. 'He says why would an Army Captain offer himself as a hostage to save a woman. Women are only good for child bearing, cleaning and cooking'. Movement behind them, made James and Qaseem turn round. 2 Platoon and Abdul came from behind the wall and lined up beside them.

'Tell him where we come from women are treated with respect and remind him that Dawes saved one of his men after the attack on the bunker. To her he was a soldier that needed help not the enemy', James said. Seeing 2 Platoon, James, Qaseem and Abdul lined up in front of him, weapons in hand, spooked the insurgent and he started shouting and dragged Molly backwards by her neck, her feet dragging along in the sand, causing her to scream with pain as she tried to drag his hands from her neck. He fired the pistol in the air as a warning to them not to move. 'Don't anyone move' James screamed out 'stand still'. Shouting came from behind the insurgent taking him by surprise and he loosened his grip on Molly. James leapt forward but before he could reach her shots rang out. The insurgent and Molly dropped to the ground.

James crawled towards them. 2 Platoon, Qaseem and Abdul dropped to their bellies. Kinders screamed 'eyes to the right sniper'. They looked through their sights but couldn't see anyone. 'Where Sir' shouted Fingers. Another volley cut across the sands behind them. James lay face down. 'Take cover, take cover' shouted Kinders. They moved rapidly backwards heading for the shelter of the wall. Qaseem crawled towards James and the motionless bodies of the insurgent and Molly. James raised his head. Qaseem nodded at him and they both crawled forward once more. 'Please please God let my Molly be alive' tears fell down his cheeks. They finally reached them. The insurgent was still alive but bleeding heavily from his side and left leg, pistol still in hand, body pinning Molly down. Dark red liquid was running along the ground from under the insurgent. James was in sheer terror. Could the blood be from Molly. The insurgent raised the pistol towards Molly's temple, finger on the trigger. A shadow blotted out the sun, Abdul stood over the insurgent and pumped a single shot into his head. James leapt forward in seconds and pushed the pistol into the air fearing the shot to his head would cause the insurgent to involuntarily pull the trigger. It did.

He pushed the insurgent off Molly and cradled her head in his arms. 'Molly, Molly,' he rocked back and forth calling her name. Shots rang out again but he was oblivious to everything except his precious Molly. Qaseem pushed him to the ground and covered them both with his body. Abdul dropped to the ground as bullets ripped through him. A loud bang silenced everything as grenades thrown by 2 Platoon hit the area the shots were coming from. Kinders called out everyone's name. 'Here Sir' they each called out in turn. No casualties. 'Go round the back of the wall and check out the area where the shots were coming from' ordered Kinders. 'Corporal' they shouted. Kinders crawled out from behind the wall weapon at the ready.

He saw the body of Abdul lying in the sand. Qaseem moved from shielding Cpt James and Molly. 'I'm ok' Qaseem shouted to Kinders. James was lying beside Molly stroking her face. 'Molly I love you so much, and I'm gonna need to spend the rest of my life with you so don't you dare leave me.' he said as he gently kissed her on the lips. Molly groaned and opened her eyes. 'I'm gonna be 100% at your side forever Boss Man. Yer don't get rid o' me that easily' she lifted her hand and stroked his cheek. His face broke into a beaming smile as the tears rolled down his cheeks and onto her face. Qaseem felt tears falling as he remembered his wife and daughter. Kinders was lying on his belly watching them in disbelief. The Captain and Molly. It was clear they were very 'loved up'

To be continued!


	8. Chapter 8

Under Attack:

'Have you been hit Molly?' he asked anxiously as he saw the dark red liquid curling through the sand. He sat up and gently rolled her away from him so he could check. 'Nuffin 'urts, but there's bleedin' blood everywhere' she said. 'Looks like the insurgent took the shots and fell on you. It's his blood, thank God' said Cpt James. He then caught sight of her neck and the deep red weals made when the insurgent grabbed her. 'You gonna have some bad bruising Dawsey' he said lifting her hair. 'I can 'andle that. I fought I was a goner an' I couldn't believe it when I 'eard your voice. I'd been praying for you to come an' get me, and suddenly you was 'ere. She reached up and stroked his cheek and they both looked into each other's eyes. Qaseem crawled over ' dear Molly, I'm so glad to see you'. Molly reached out and touched his hand, he covered her hand with his and his eyes smiled at her. They all looked at the body of the insurgent and then at Abdul. Qaseem covered Abdul's face with his head covering. He bowed his head' Tashakor, thank you'

'Captain James, Captain James, prisoners sir' Dangles shouted. Satisfied Molly was ok, James assumed command. 'Dawes, Qaseem, keep low'. ' Kinders over here'. Kinders crawled over. 'Sir' 'On my count of three keep low, we're going to check out the prisoners' 'Yes sir'. 'Three-go'. They ran towards the rubble of a building twisting and turning as they ran watching for any snipers. 'What have you got lads' he pushed through and saw 2 insurgents lying facing down, hands bound behind their backs. 'We found them like this Sir' 'Looks like an internal power struggle between warring factions of Taliban' said James. 'Ok let's get transport in and get the fuck out of here before the cavalry come in and try to rescue them'. Kinders radioed for support and at the same time rapid fire started to come from the trees where 2 Platoon had been holed up.

'Take cover' James shouted. 'Take cover' screamed Kinders. James saw movement out of the corner of his eye and raised his weapon. 'Don't shoot Boss it's us' screamed Molly as she and Qaseem zigzagged through the sand and threw themselves down with the others. 'They surprised us from behind. They're well undercover in them trees Sir'. Kinders radioed through to support and told them where the insurgents were. 'It'll be at least 15 minutes before we get back up so let's dig in where we can and 'eyes on all round', shouted Cpt James. 2 Platoon spread themselves around the ruins of the buildings, taking circular positions so that they had 'eyes on from all angles'. James and Qaseem remained in the area with the prisoners. 'We may have to use them to barter with the insurgents while we're waiting for back-up', he said to Qaseem. 'Talk to them and find out if we have anyone of importance'. Qaseem moved towards the prisoners and started talking with them. He eventually turned to James.

'Appears there is a leadership battle going on and it has split them down the middle. These men are loyal to someone called Aashif and the others to someone known as Majid, 'the glorious one'. Majid's soldiers captured them after they blew the truck up. One of them is Number Two to Aashif and a good bargaining tool for Majid.' 'So the insurgents holed up in the ditch by the trees are Aashif's men, but where the fuck are this Majid's men' James said. Rapid fire coming from 10 o'clock, met by rapid fire from 3 o'clock answered his question. 'Keep your heads down and take cover. Don't fire until I tell you' yelled Cpt James. 2 Platoon were surrounded by fire in the midst of a power struggle. 'Foot Locker was never like this' Mansfield Mike said. 'You better keep that ginger 'ead out of sight. It's like red rag to a bull. A sitting duck' shouted Fingers to MM.

'Qaseem, which is Aashif's Number Two?' 'This one Sir', he pointed his weapon at the one on the left. 'Right we need to get him away from here, he could be our passage out of this situation'. James and Qaseem took one arm each. 'Cover us' he bellowed to 2 Platoon as they dragged the prisoner through the sand towards the only building that had half of it still standing. A bullet whistled pass James and hit the wall of the building they were heading to. They dragged the prisoner behind the wall and threw him into the sand, diving down, weapons ready to fire.

'Is everyone ok Kinders' he yelled out. 'All present and correct Sir' Kinders replied. 'Good. About another 12 minutes before back-up arrives' he shouted. 'Give them our position and situation Kinders' 'Yes Sir'. Suddenly all hell broke loose. Screaming, shouting, weapons being unloaded indiscriminately. The opposing factions were storming the area in a face off.

'All of you get the fuck over here now' screamed James. 2 Platoon raced through the sand covered by Cpt James and Qaseem with Dangleberries and Nude Nut covering the rear as they zig zagged towards the wall of the building. They all hit the deck, sweating, breathing rapidly, fear coursing through them. 'Form a circle so we are covered from all points' ordered Cpt James. 'Insurgent in the middle of the circle' Baz Vegas and Brains dragged him into the middle. 'Keep your eyes on him'. 'Sir' they yelled.

From their vantage point they could see the insurgents racing towards each other. Thank God we're not in the middle, thought James. 'Sir' screamed Mansfield Mike, 'they're coming up behind us' Cpt James turned to see two insurgents heading towards their cover position. 'Rapid fire now' he shouted to MM and Fingers. They unloaded their weapons scoring direct hits. 'Well done lads' James shouted. Firing came from his left, Brains and Dangleberries had eyes on two more insurgents trying to storm their position. More firing from the right as Dawes and Brains halted the advance of yet two more insurgents. 'Shit, where's the fucking back-up' he shouted to Kinders. 'We're surrounded'. 'I've lost contact Sir, there's no signal' Kinders yelled back. 'Fucking brilliant' James shouted. 'Sir' Qaseem screamed. James turned to see a group of 12 insurgents had surrounded their position and were pointing their weapons at 2 Platoon. They were well and truly ambushed. 'Don't make any sudden moves lads' he said. They looked at him and then saw the insurgents, weapons at the ready. He stood up, hands raised. Qaseem spoke to them and he too stood up. One of the insurgents raised his weapon and pointed it at Cpt James, finger on the trigger. It was too much for Molly and she screamed out 'No don't shoot him please' the anguish in her eyes plain for all too see.

Suddenly the insurgents weapon was knocked up in the air, out of his grasp and a masked man walked forward. 'Molly Dawes, we meet again' It was Brit speaker. She stared in surprise. 'You escaped that mortar attack ' she was shocked. What was happening. She was terrified and could feel the fear of everyone in 2 Platoon.

'Yes Miss Molly I did and you and your fellow soldiers have rid us of our enemy and we have a hostage we can use to suit our purposes' he said kicking the leg of bound up insurgent. Molly shivered as she remembered when he had done the same to her.

He said something to his men. Majid, Majid, they chanted and dragged the insurgent on the floor to his feet. A shot rang out. He shouted pushing Molly to the floor. Everyone hit the deck. There was a lot of screaming and shouting. Two of Majid's men ran out into the open firing rapidly. Silence.

Everyone was face down. 'Molly' Cpt James called out. 'I'm okay Boss Man' she shouted back. For the second time he thanked God. Suddenly the noise of the back-up helicopter broke the deathly silence and Kinders radio sprang back into life. 'Come in 2 Platoon, give us an eye on your position' came the command. Kinders looked at Cpt James. Majid's gaze swept around the area and he eyeballed Cpt James. 'Go ahead Captain, give them your instructions, but…..we will disappear first and you will not allow them to pursue us' he ordered James. James looked at him suspiciously and hesitated. 'We took Molly Dawes to kill her but she saved the life of my brother, therefore I will re-pay her with the lives of you and your men'

James reached over, took the radio from Kinders and spoke rapidly giving details of their position and advising that there had been a gun battle and in the main all of the insurgents were dead. He knew he should advise them about Majid and his men but the lives of his Platoon were at stake. Suddenly Majid and his men were gone in the swirling sand as the chopper put down.

'Everyone onboard now… go' he shouted. His men were in a semi trance absorbing the situation. 'Did you hear me, I said NOW' he bellowed. 'Sir' the trance broken, they jumped up and headed towards the transport. 'Dawes, I'll need a full briefing from you when we get back to base' 'You can 'ave that alright Boss Man' she grinned at him. Oh how he loved her. He and Qaseem were the last to board. The chopper lifted off and roared away.


	9. Chapter 9 Back to Base

Back to Base:

The chopper landed and 2 Platoon jumped out. 'I'm starving' Dangles said. 'Me too. An' me, an' me' the cry went through the Platoon as they ran towards the scran tent. 'Molls you comin' Fingers said. 'Nah not 'ungry' 'Dawes Ops Tent, de-brief now' Cpt James strode past her. If she hadn't known he loved her she would have thought he was being a callous arsehole, but sometimes she found it hard to know what he was thinking. Here in Afghan at least!

'Private Dawes, you don't know how pleased we are to see you' said Major Morley. 'Hear hear' said Major Beck. 'Fank you' she smiled. 'I know you have been through a lot Dawes but if you feel up to it now, a full de-brief would be helpful?' said Beck kindly. Cpt James, Kinders and Qaseem gathered round the table with the Majors and Molly. 'First you James' Cpt James re-counted their mission from leaving base to sighting Molly and the subsequent events. Beck and Morley exchanged glances. 'highly dangerous James. All credit to you for getting everyone out safely' said Morley. Beck seconded the statement. 'Sir I have something to add' said Cpt James. He then proceeded to tell them that he allowed the Taliban group to leave having told back-up that in the main most of the insurgents were dead. 'Sir, I realise that I shouldn't have done that and I accept any command reprimand or punishment'.

'Sir, let me tell you what 'appened to me and you will understand that the Boss did that to save the lives of the whole platoon'. Molly re-counted what had happened to her and James visibly flinched when she spoke about her beating. She went onto explain about the injured insurgent and how she had operated as best she could. 'Fank God the Yanks. Sorry Major'. She corrected herself. 'The Americans, have such well equipped trucks. Without that truck I might be lying dead in the sand now' Major Morley laughed. 'You Limeys make me laugh. Carry on'. Molly then told them about the in-fighting between the different Taliban factions, the mortar attack, 2 platoons storming of the buildings, the bravery of Abdul and the re-appearance of the Brit speaking Majid and how he said that as Molly had saved his brother's life, he would spare all of them provided Cpt James didn't mention they were there or try to have them followed. Morley and Beck looked at each other. 'Leave us for the time being' Beck dismissed everyone from the Ops Tent. 'Sir' they all left.

'Dawes my tent now' commanded Cpt James. 'Sir' she looked nervously at Qaseem and Kinders and followed behind him.

When she entered the tent she couldn't see him. Suddenly she felt his arms around her turning her to face him, his warm brown eyes full of tenderness and concern. She threw her arms around his neck and their lips met gently at first and then deeper and deeper. The longing became more and more urgent and their breathing heavy. Molly started moaning quietly as Charles caressed her neck and slipped his hand inside the top of her combats. 'Oh god I love you Charles James. I want you inside me now….please. It's been so long' tears rolled down her cheeks. 'My darling Molly you don't know how much I have missed you. Longed to feel you in my arms. Longed to touch you, to kiss you, to be inside you'. Charles's breathing was coming in gasps. 'Sir, Majors Morley and Beck have summoned us back to the Ops tent now' called Kinders from outside the tent. 'Thank you Kinders' Cpt James said.

Reluctantly he and Molly untangled themselves and straightened their clothing. 'I love you Molly Dawes' he smiled into her eyes, took her face into his hands and gave her one more deep kiss. 'I 'fink a cold shower wouldn't go amiss' she laughed. He slapped her backside and they left the tent and walked towards the Ops HQ.

Major Morley was standing, hands behind his back, Major Beck at his side. 'Come in everyone' he said. 'Major Beck and I have been discussing the severity of the situation', his face was stern, his brow furrowed. 'We have discussed it from a command viewpoint and have concluded that Captain James acted with the utmost responsibility in the circumstances, to save the lives of his whole platoon'. 'And there will be no disciplinary charges to answer as he volunteered for this mission despite being in recovery from injuries previously sustained' added Major Beck.

Captain James breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Qaseem, Kinders and Molly beamed at him. 'See you ain't a bad soldier, Boss' Molly laughed.

'At ease all of you, go and enjoy yourselves before you leave tomorrow. 5am flight back to Brize Norton' Major Beck laughed.

'I heard the Band's still here Kinders' Cpt James asked quizzically looking at Kinders. 'They are Sir' 'Then tell them and the lads to be ready to party in 15mins' he laughed. 'I'm gonna have that cold shower Boss' she looked straight at him with a smouldering look. 'Me too Dawes, hot here today' he grinned and gave her a smouldering look in return. 'Bastard' she mouthed at him and laughed.

Fifteen minutes later Cpt James walked across to the makeshift stage. 'Listen up lads, we had a hairy one today and I would like to thank you all for keeping your cool and watching each other's backs. It looked like we weren't going to get out alive at one stage….' 'And then Dawsey saved the day so you wouldn't all be brown bread' a loud chuckle came from his right and he turned to see Molly. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her hair was tumbling round her shoulders . She had on a red vest and a pair of skimpy black shorts, both of which accentuated her curves. Her legs were tanned and taut. The lads looked appreciatively at Molly and there was a chorus of wolf whistles. She blushed. Qaseem laughed. He was so pleased to see Molly was safe.

The band struck up ….'Valereeeeee' the boys were singing and dancing the tensions of the day away. 'Duet Dawsey' Charles looked at Molly and winked. 'If you insist Sir' she laughed as he went into 'their' song. 'Don't go breaking my heart, you put the light in my life' he sang looking at her 'Right from the start I gave you my heart, you put the sparks to the flame' Molly sang back at him. Then they both sang together as they looked at each other: 'And now it's up to us babe, I think we can make it'. 'Woo woo' shouted the lads, not knowing the situation still. Qaseem laughed warmly. They were from totally different backgrounds but he knew enough about people and situations, to know that their love would surmount those obstacles.

To Be Continued!


	10. R & R

R & R

After the 'plane touched down at Brize Norton, Charles and Molly had said their goodbyes to the lads and got into the waiting car organised by Major Beck. 'Where to Sir' asked the driver. 'The Old Swan and Minster Mill' replied Charles.

Charles took Molly's hand and kissed it. They gazed into each other's eyes and both reached to touch the others cheek and stroke it gently. The sexual tension was electric and the journey seemed to take forever although it was only twenty minutes. 'Oh this is beautiful' gasped Molly as they drew up outside. He smiled, put his arm round her shoulder and gave her a hug. 'Nothing is as beautiful as you' he kissed her forehead. Her legs were like jelly as she climbed out of the car. She had missed him so so much. They walked into the hotel followed by the driver with their luggage. Charles walked her over to a seat and said he would check them in. A few minutes later their bags were put onto a trolley to be taken to their room and Charles and Molly took the lift. They walked along the corridor hand in hand and stopped outside room 450. Charles scanned the key card into the lock and held the door open for Molly. 'Bit betta 'ran a Travel Lodge' she laughed as she walked into the Suite. She wandered round the lounge with its two settees, huge inset TV, and headed towards the bedroom. She gasped. The large room had floor to ceiling windows and a beautiful huge four poster bed. 'Like it Ms Dawes?' 'Ain't bad Captain James' she replied giggling.

There was a knock on the door. Their luggage was brought in. Charles tipped the porter and closed the door behind him. 'Just gonna take a quick shower' Molly called out. 'Ok , I can wait' he smirked. Another knock on the door and a waiter came in with a bottle of champagne on ice, two glasses and a single red rose. He placed them on the table and left the room. Charles swiftly took the tray into the bedroom and placed them on the end of bed chaise. He then took the rose and placed it across the two pillows and sat in the chair opposite the four poster. The bathroom door opened and Molly came out wrapped in a huge white fluffy bathrobe. He could smell her freshness and loved her damp hair curling round her shoulders. She smiled a heart melting smile at him. God how he had missed her. They stared at each other unable to move, drinking in the moment.

'Miss me Boss' she asked with a cheeky grin. 'What d'you think' he grinned back. 'Mmm, not sure'she said wickedly. It was all he could do not to dive across the room. 'Give me five minutes and we'll see who missed who the most Dawsey' he touched her hair as he went into the bathroom. Molly spotted the rose across the two pillows and the iced champagne bucket at the bottom of the bed. Am I in heaven, she thought. The bathroom door opened behind her and Charles came out in a dark navy bathrobe, his brown curly hair dripping. She walked forward and reached up rubbing his wet hair with the sleeve of her bathrobe. He caught her arm and kissed the inside of her palm. 'You smell good Dawsey' 'So do you' she said nuzzling into his neck.

He folded both arms round her and held her tight, whispering into her ear. 'I can't believe how much I've missed you. Three months seemed like three years and when I got the phone call from Qaseem I thought the world had stopped. He held her away from him and the anguished look in his deep brown eyes made her heart race. 'I didn't imagine that anyone could make me feel the way you have Molly' he said stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. She reached up and covered his hands with hers. 'I asked you back in Bath how you could love me when you only knew me on tour, and you said it was chemistry'. I was so frightened you would change your mind 'cos I knew that I didn't want to be without you, ever, an' that bein' away for three months and wot 'appened in Afghan made me realise that I love you so much Charles James and want to be with you 100% always. The electricity of the moment was too much and Charles led her gently to the bed, pulled back the sheets and opened her bathrobe. It dropped to the ground and he slid his hand under her hair gazing into her eyes as she undid his bathrobe. Without taking his eyes from hers, he climbed into the bed, took the rose from the pillow, pulled her gently down beside him and gave her the rose. 'For you my darling Molly. You will never be without me, I promise' Molly took the rose and put it on the bedside table. 'And you will never be without me' she said and reached up, pulled him towards her and kissed him. He kissed her back gently running his tongue over her lips, she did the same to him and then he could bear it no more and kissed her hungrily and more deeply. 'This is how much I missed you Molly Dawes' he said, his hands caressing every part of her body and his kisses getting more intense with each touch. 'And this is how much I missed you Boss Man said Molly sliding down the bed and gently touching him. She began to caress him and he started to moan. He reached down and caressed her slowly but firmly. She arched her back. They both pulled back to look at each other and Charles entered her. Molly pulled him in deeper and deeper. They moaned with ecstasy and the emotion of past few days and their love for each other reached a crescendo. Molly felt herself sobbing as the moment subsided and Charles's eyes were moist as he he held her tightly. He stroked her hair, kissing her forehead and gently rocked her in his arms until they both fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11 Where Do We Go From Here?

Where Do We Go From Here?

The sun streamed through the gap in the curtains. Charles and Molly were blissfully entwined

around each other. Charles stirred and looked at his beloved Molly, smiled and kissed her forehead.'Mmm' she snuggled into him kissing his chest. 'I never want to get up again' she opened her eyes and looked up at him. He kissed her deeply and she felt the longing rising in her again. He kissed her more and more urgently and she abandoned herself to his touch. 'Let me show you again how much I missed you Dawsey' he whispered as he gently aroused her in every way possible. Molly had never experienced such total love and stroked his hair entwining her fingers into his brown curls as she enjoyed his hands, tongue and lips on every part of her body. 'I didn't know I could love anyone this much' she whispered, and moaned with pleasure. They abandoned themselves to each other completely, time didn't matter. Their pleasure culminated in a crescendo of feeling that left them both sated. Their emotions were raw and exposed and in that moment they both knew that this was forever. They kissed tenderly, sealing their bond.

'I'm starving' Charles said. 'Me too, mus' be all that exercise' she giggled. 'Well you'll be ravenous by dinner then' he teased. She hit him with the pillow, jumped out of bed and ran into the shower. She was deliriously happy. Charles lay back and couldn't stop smiling. Molly Dawes loved him and he worshipped Molly Dawes. He reached for the phone and ordered room service.

Charles had his back to the room and was standing on the terrace when Molly came out of the shower. She crept up behind him and gently ran her hands across his shoulders and squeezed herself into him. 'Dawes that's dangerous' he laughed. 'Shower, food and then I'll show you dangerous' she grinned. 'Will you now' he raised an eyebrow and bit his lower lip. 'God how I love it when you do that' she smouldered.

'Room service' there was a knock on the door. 'I'll ged it' Molly said. Charles went into the bathroom and jumped into the shower, when he came out Molly was sitting on the terrace where the waiter had laid the table with their food, together with a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket. He popped the cork and filled the two flutes. They raised their glasses, entwined their arms and sipped each others bubbles. 'Here's to my adorable, beautiful, Molly Dawes' He gazed into her eyes. 'An' 'ere's to my perfect, gorgeous, wonderful Charles, Boss Man, James' she smiled cheekily and reached up to kiss him. 'Eat Dawsey and then you're in biggg trouble' he laughed.

When they had finished he called for room service to come and clear away. The waiter smiled knowingly at them as he left the room. They spent the rest of the day in bed, discovering and enjoying each other, falling asleep in each other's arms. When they woke it was dark outside. 'Oh gawd, what time is it' she said sitting up startled. Charles looked at his watch. 'Time for dinner Dawesy, what do you fancy' he said handing her the room service menu. 'You chose' she grinned, remembering Bath.

'Well where do we go from here' he asked, when they had finished dinner. 'I dunno wiv you resigning your commission an' that' she looked at him questioningly. 'You've found what you've been looking for in the Army' he said 'so we need to work out a way for you to stay in, but I can't have you away from me for months at a time' he said reaching over and taking her hand in his. 'I couldn't bear that'. 'Nor me' she said.

'I don't want to go back on active service, but I did enjoy being back with the section when I came to find you' 'Well what about an Ops role or summat?' she asked. 'I did talk with Major Beck and he's coming to London in a couple of weeks so I'm going to meet up with him and go through my options'Charles said. 'You're a brilliant Captain and the guys love you. You mustn't give up an' a desk job would be proper boring'.

After a magical two days together, Molly and Charles reluctantly packed their bags, jumped in the car and headed to Bath.


	12. Chapter 12

Molly – Alone With Her Memories

Molly's thoughts drifted back to the two days they had spent in Oxford. She closed her eyes and could smell Charles and feel his touch. They had driven back to Bath, car in automatic mode, they had held hands the whole way. They pulled up outside Charles parent's house, who were away again. Must be nice to have so many holidays she thought. Charles walked round the car and opened the door for Molly, she swung her legs onto the road and he swept her up in his arms and kissed her deeply. 'old up Boss' she laughed. He took their bags inside and she wandered into the kitchen. 'Cupa tea', she called out as he went upstairs. 'No teabags here Dawes, tea leaves only' he shouted down to her. 'Wot' she screwed up her nose. She went into the cupboard and found different flavours of tea. Mint, Green, Earl Grey, Breakfast. She chose the breakfast tea and put the kettle on. 'Don't forget to heat the pot Dawes' he came up behind her and wrapped his arms round her kissing her neck. 'I know, I ain't stupid' she said laughing. He went to the fridge. Empty except for eggs, bacon, tomatoes and some mushrooms. 'Looks like a'fry up Dawes. 'Lovely, ain't 'ad one for ages, 'an the Breakfast tea will go well'! They finished eating and leaned on the table sipping their mugs of tea.

The 'phone rang and Charles went into the hall to answer it. Molly started to wash up. After a while she suddenly realised she couldn't hear Charles voice and it had gone very quiet. She dried her hands and went out into the hall. He wasn't there and the receiver was lying beside the phone. 'Charles' she called up the stairs, 'where are you' Silence. 'Stop messin' about, answer me' she shouted. Silence. She went to the table, picked up the receiver, and put it to her ear. 'ello' she said. Nothing. She jumped as the front door crashed open and Charles came striding in. 'You gave me a Julius Cesar, numpty' she said clutching her chest. Charles stopped in front of her, he looked strange. 'I'll get your bags, you're going home' he said going up the stairs two at a time. ' you talking about, what's goin' on' she shouted up after him. He came out of the bedroom and down the stairs. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs, dropped the bag, pulled her into him and kissed her long and hard. 'Whatever happens, know that I love you and will always love you'. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out to the car. 'What the hell is goin' on' she said, bewildered. 'Who was on the 'phone, why am I going back to London' . Charles didn't answer. He screeched the car to a halt at the Station, got out grabbed her bags thrust a wad of money into her hand, turned on his heel, jumped into the car and roared away. She stood watching him, stunned.

That was two weeks ago and she hadn't heard anything from him since. She kept replaying the scenario over and over but couldn't make any sense of it. She knew, without question, that he loved her but couldn't get her head round what had happened.

She'd taken the train to London but couldn't face going back to West Ham and booked herself into a Travel Lodge. She lost all sense of time as she lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. Sleep came eventually. After two days she called Major Beck and asked if he knew where Cpt James was. He said he assumed he was with her. Molly told him what had happened and he sounded puzzled. He said they had some new recruits going to Pirbright and why didn't she go down there for a few days to take her mind off the things. He sent a car for her and she had settled herself in but inside she was distraught and couldn't get a calmness.

She came back to earth with a bang as the 'phone rang. She picked it up. 'ello' 'Hiya Molls', her Mum's voice came down the phone. 'Oh, hi Mum' ' I just rang to see how you was and if you're gonna cum 'ome this week-end. We'd love to see yer' her Mum said. 'Not sure yet, got some new recruits comin' in and want me to be 'ere to welcome them', she replied. 'Don't matter if you just turn up at the last minute. Cum an' see us Molls, we miss yer' her Mum sounded sad. 'I'll see Mum'. Molly didn't want to talk. 'Luv yer' she said and put the 'phone down.

Her shoulders slumped and she walked over and looked out of the window. She watched the new recruits in the quadrangle below all lined up. Untidy, scruffy, attitude, nervous. So many raw emotions. She remembered them all. How was she going to hack it, she'd never make it, she hated it, why had she joined up. Those were all the thoughts going through her head in the first few weeks when she'd arrived here. It was hard. God it was hard. The discipline was difficult, she was used to doing what she wanted, when she wanted and answering to no-one. A couple of the other girls were bitches but everyone was really alright. She started to like it.

Then that amazing day when she'd been told she was being sent to Afghan. She could have cried with joy. She'd made it – oh yes! She'd punched the air and couldn't stop smiling. Mum, Dad and Nan were not so happy. They were scared for their little girl. They'd read stories in the papers, seen them on the News. Transport planes arriving back carrying coffins. The streets lined with people paying their respects, and now their Molls was going out to fight the foreign bleeders. 'Oh Molls' her Mum had hugged her so hard and her Nan had stroked her hair, tears falling down her cheeks. Even Dad Dave had given her a clumsy hug and kissed her cheek. 'Don't worry I'm a Dawes, I'll be fine. No-one ain't gonna mess wiv a West 'Am girl' she laughed. She needed to go quickly or she was in danger of crying. She kissed the kids and walked out onto the landing. 'Don't forget to write' she shouted as she shut the door behind her.

She'd arrived at Brize Norton and been allocated as Medic to 2 Section. Then her worst nightmare. Smurf. She nearly died when she saw him. She'd had a very druken one night stand behind the takeaway, and now he was heading towards her smiling. Shit. The lads in the section were taking the piss and she'd begged Smurf to keep schtum about their one nighter.

To make matters worse she'd made a fool of herself in front of the Head of 2 Section , Captain James. It went from bad to worse when an injured soldier was brought in and she had felt sick when she saw his injuries and run out of the hospital. Things got worse until that day when she had gotten a grip, crawled through a minefield and saved Smurf's life. From then on she was accepted by the lads and the Bossman, Captain James .They'd had some pretty close escapes and hairy moments but she loved it. She loved Afghan, it was beautiful.

But something had happened to her out there. She'd grown up. She saw how different life was. How hard it was for women and girls to get an education. She smiled when she thought of Bashira, and of Qaseem, who was like an Uncle to her. All the time she was falling more and more in love with Captain James but thought she didn't stand a chance with him as they had such different backgrounds. But then he started to look at her differently, he'd stroked her fingers and asked her to come back to him when she was going on R & R. He got the sulks when he thought she'd got together with Smurf in Newport. Then she'd found out he was married and had a son. Her feelings were in turmoil and she avoided him when she could.

She remembered the Bossman dropping his guard and telling her she was the last thing he wanted to see if they had been blown up in the ditch and the magic moment when he had kissed her. She ran her fingers across her lips as if feeling him.

She shuddered at the thought of the day when Bashira's father had gunned Bossman and Smurf down. And of Smurf's death. Her friend Smurf, only he had wanted to be her fella.

How she had laughed at the restaurant in Bath when Bossman had told her his name was Charles. How he had told her he loved her. How they had spent a wonderful night together at his parent's house in Bath. How amazing he'd been in telling her to go back and find herself in Afghan, and that they' were nearly there'. Oh god how she loved him, adored him. Her, Molly Dawes from a grotty council flat in West Ham, him from a posh family in Bath, an officer from Sandhurst. He'd fallen for _her_. He didn't care where she came from, he just cared that she made him happy and he'd proved that he would do anything for her, go to the ends of the Earth for her. Not fully recovered from his devastating injuries, and having resigned his Commission, he'd had no hesitation in jumping on a troop transporter and going to Afghan to rescue her from the insurgents. Then they'd come back to Oxford and spent an amazing two days in bed making love and talking about their future. And now he was gone.

She couldn't hold the tears back any longer and fell back into the chair sobbing.


	13. Where's Charles

Where's Charles?

Molly was getting very restless at Pirbright. She had some great recruits under her but it was now a month since Charles had disappeared with no explanation and she couldn't settle. Every night she lay awake wondering where he was and what had happened. She was sure that he had been sent on a covert mission, so secret that he had had to leave with no explanation – immediately. There could be no other reason for what had happened – or could there? He had resigned his Commission so how could he go on a mission? She knew without doubt that he loved her and there was no way he would hurt her. So what then?

The 'phone rang and she reached out fumbling for the light switch on the bedside table. 03.10am. WTF. ' 'allo' she croaked down the 'phone. 'That's no way to greet the man you love and adore Dawsey' She sat bolt upright in bed, stunned. 'Speak to me Dawes, please, he pleaded. I need to hear your voice, I need to hold you, I need to kiss you' Charles's husky tones came down the phone. Molly started to cry. 'Oh Charles, Charles, Boss, where are you I need you so much' she sobbed. 'Oh my darling, don't cry. I'm so sorry about what happened, I would never intentionally hurt you and dumping you at the Station with no explanation nearly ripped me apart. Please please forgive me' 'Only if I get to see you. When can I see you?' she pleaded. 'Soon my angel, soon I promise' Molly heard shouting in the background. 'I have to go now my darling. I love you so much' 'I love you too' she said. The line went dead. She fell back onto the pillow. Shocked. The rest of the night went by and she lay awake going over the call again and again. It was so good to hear his voice.

She was awoken by a loud rapping on her door. 'Dawes, Dawes, open the door. Dawes'. She fell out of bed and stumbled across to the door. She pulled it open and peeped round. It was Major Beck. She was horrified. 'Sir, Major Beck Sir, I'm so sorry, am I late?' she looked at her watch confused. 8.30am. She looked at Major Beck mortified. 'At ease Dawes. May I come in please?' It was a question, but also a command. 'Sir' Molly opened the door. Major Beck strode in and Molly apologised for her pyjamas and the lateness of the hour. She had been due to brief her recruits at 7am.

Major Beck sat down in the chair by the window. 'Sit down Dawes' Molly perched on the edge of the bed. 'You asked me four weeks ago if I knew where Captain James was and I told you that I didn't. I lied to you', Beck stated matter of factly. 'As you know he resigned his Commission after the unfortunate occurrence in Afghan. We, the Army didn't want to lose a soldier with such excellent leadership qualities but he was feeling guilty that he had let his men down so we allowed him to recover, both from his wounds and more importantly, from his mental insecurities. When he came to me and asked to go to Afghan to head up your rescue mission, I knew that he hadn't lost his appetite for the Army. It was also apparent that your welfare was, shall we say, above and beyond the call of duty'. He looked straight at Molly and smiled. She blushed and looked at the floor.

'Immediately after your return to the UK we received intel from the ANA that the insurgents who captured you were planning an attack on the newly established ANA base where a small number of the British Army are also stationed. It is important that we protect that base to ensure the smooth transition of power.

The intel also informed us that the same group had located Bashira's hideout and were going to attempt to take her as a hostage for bargaining power. Molly gasped. Major Beck motioned her to remain silent. He continued ' James knew the situation surrounding Bashira and had experience of the insurgents responsible so we decided to launch a covert operation with him at the helm.

We had only 2 hours to brief him and ship him out to Afghan under the strictest secrecy. I personally called him from my car outside his house and summoned him to come outside so that I could speak with him. I had seen you go into the house with him and it was important that you were not aware of this mission as it was far too dangerous for you to be involved again having been taken captive once. Hence we had to ship him out without any explanation. Sorry Dawes'. Molly was listening intently. 'Sir what 'appened to…' Beck finished the sentence 'Bashira'? 'Is fine, thanks to Cpt James and 2 Platoon. '2 Platoon! They went as well! Molly's face looked like thunder.

'This was an extremely dangerous and intricate operation. We airlifted them in the nick of time. They were hemmed in and under mortar attack. . Bashira was moved out of the area and re-homed with an Afghan family under a new identity.

I have recommended Cpt James for the Military Cross for his gallantry in the face of the enemy.' Molly beamed 'No-one deserves it more Sir. What now though?' she asked. 'Well the Army wants you and James to stay in, you're both excellent soldiers, but relationships are frowned on so we need to think carefully about what direction to point you in!' he laughed. 'Well Dawes, shower and report downstairs to rally your recruits in 30 minutes please' 'Sir'. Molly stood up and saluted.

She felt happier and calmer for the first time in a month and her stomach had butterflies at the thought of Charles coming home. She didn't know when but that was ok. He was safe and she now understood why he did what he did. A shudder of pleasure ran through her and she leaned against the wall. 'Betta make it anytime soon Charles James' she giggled to herself


End file.
